Syntheses of D-chiro-3-inosose and (+)-D-chiro inositol

ABSTRACT

There are described novel biocatalytic and chemical processes for the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds. Particularly, there are described processes for the synthesis of a useful synthon 12 made by reacting a protected diol (acetonide) with permaganate under appropriate conditions. Such synthon is useful of the synthesis of various pharmaceutically important compounds such as D-chiro-inositol and D-chiro-3-inosose. Also, there are disclosed novel compounds, including specifically the synthon 12 and compounds derived therefrom.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/974,057 filed Nov. 10,1992, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 07/956,522 filed Oct. 5, 1992, (now abandoned).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to biocatalytic methods for the synthesis ofvarious oxygenated compounds, such methods comprising enantiomericallyselective functionalization of arene cis-diol starting materials topotentially all of the nine known inositols, shown below. Moreparticularly this invention relates to the synthesis of specificcompounds including but not limited to D-chiro-3-inosose 10, andD-chiro-inositol 6, shown below, and also relates to the necessarymethods of synthesis for at least three other inositols, neo-, muco-,and allo-inositols. ##STR1## (+)-D-chiro-inositol 6 is of particularinterest due to its perceived potential as an antidiabetic agent (Seefor example: Kennington, A. S.; Hill, C. R.; Craig, J.; Bogardus, C.;Raz, I.; Ortmeyer, H. K.; Hansen. B. C.; Romero, G.; Larner, J. NewEngland J. Med. 1990, 323, 373). ##STR2##

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The expression of arene cis-diols was originally discovered anddescribed by Gibson twenty-three years ago (Gibson, D. T. et al.Biochemistry 1970, 9, 1626). Since that time, use of such arenecis-diols in enantiocontrolled synthesis of oxygenated compounds hasgained increasing acceptance by those skilled in the art. Many examplesof applications to total synthesis of carbohydrates, cyclitols, andoxygenated alkaloids can be found in the literature, however much of thework done within this area has been with the more traditional approachof attaining optically pure compounds from the carbohydrate chiral pool.(Hanessian, S. in Total Synthesis of Natural Products: The ChironApproach, 1983, Pergamon Press (Oxford)). Furthermore, none of the workdone with these arene cis-diols teaches or suggests the synthesis of theoxygenated compounds which are the subject of the present invention.

In the present invention, unlike in the previous attempts to utilizethese arene cis-diols, emphasis has been placed on the application ofprecise symmetry-based planning to further functionalization of arenacis-diols in enantiodivergent fashion. This approach has previously beensuccessfully applied for the synthesis of cyclitols and sugars. See forexample, commonly owned patent applications PCT/US91/02594 (WO91/16290)and PCT/US91/01040, (WO91/72257) the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

Compounds which can be made by the processes set forth herein includeoxygenated compounds, however the present processes are particularlyuseful for the synthesis of compounds such as D-chiro-inositol 6. Thiscompound is potentially an important pharmaceutical agent for thetreatment of diabetes. (See for example: a) Kennington. A. S.; Hill, C.R.; Craig, J.; Bogardus, C.; Raz, I.; Ortmeyer. H. K.; Hansen, B.C.;Romero, G.; Larner, J. New England J. Med. 1990, 323, 373; b) Huang, L.C.; Zhang, L.; Larner. J. FASEB, 1992. A1629, Abstr. #4009; c) Pak, Y.;Huang, L. C.; Larner, J. FASEB, 1992, A1629, Abstr. #4008; Larner,Huang, L. C.; Schwartz, C. F. W.; Oswald, A. S.; Shen, T.-Y.; Kinter,M.; Tang, G.; Zeller, K. Biochem. and Biophys. Commun. 1988, 151,1416.).

While the therapeutic potential of D-chiro-inositol 6 is immense, itsavailability is limited. It is currently available from various sourceswhich are not economically feasible for bulk supply of the drug to thepharmaceutical industry. For example, D-chiro-inositol 6 can be obtainedas the demethylation product from (+)-Pinitol. (+)-Pinitol can be madefrom chlorobenzene via a six step synthetic process as previouslydescribed in commonly owned application PCT/US91/02594 incorporatedherein. In addition (+)-Pinitol can be obtained by the extraction ofwood dust. (Anderson, A. B. Ind. and Eng. Chem. 1953, 593). The compound6 may also be obtained by either cleavage of the natural antibiotickasugamycin (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada,M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101), or by apossible enzymatic inversion of C-3 of the readily availablemyo-inositol 8. (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.;Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101.7.Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi,T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101).

While these methods for synthesis of D-chiro-inositol 6 have beendescribed they are not optimal for either clinical or bulk supply of thedrug candidate.

Specifically, the known methods of synthesis are not amenable to scaleupor are too lengthy. One of the methods involves extraction of pinitolfrom wood dust (Anderson. A. B. Ind. and Eng. Chem. 1953, 593) and itschemical conversion to D-chiro-inositol. This procedure, applied toton-scale would use large volumes of solvents and large quantities ofother chemicals and would be either impractical or costly or both. Thepreparation of D-chiro-inositol from the antibiotic kasugamycin(Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi,T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101) also suffers fromdrawbacks because, on a large scale, about half of the acquired mass ofproduct would be committed to waste (the undesired amino sugar portionof kasugamycin), not to mention the expense with the development of thelarge scale fermentation process for this antibiotic. The inversion ofone center in the available and inexpensive myo-inositol can inprinciple be accomplished enzymatically (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.;Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics(Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101.7. Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.;Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A,18, 101), however no further details on the commercial feasibility ofthis process have surfaced since 1965.

Based on the shortcomings of the above processes, there is a need for abiocatalytic approach to compound 6 that is an improvement over theabove described processes. Such an approach should be environmentallybenign as well as amenable to multi-kilogram scale. The currentlydisclosed process shown in Scheme 1, below is exceedingly brief andefficient in that it provides the epoxydiol 12 in one pot procedurewithout the necessity of isolation of protected derivative 11. This isan extremely advantageous transformation because it creates four chiralcenters in a medium containing water, acetone, magnesium sulfate andmanganese dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), thus making thistransformation more efficient and environmentally sound from the pointof waste removal. ##STR3## Methods for the synthesis of an epoxydiol 14,which is useful as a synthon, have previously been described (Hudlicky,T.; Price, J. D.; Rulin F.; Tsunoda, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc 1990, 112,9439) This synthon, which was previously used in the preparation ofpinitols, as shown in Scheme 2 below, is now prepared by the controlledoxidation of 11 with potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) and a subsequentdehalogenation to 14 rather than previous methods described by Hudlickyet al., and is useful in the synthesis of various other compounds asshown in Scheme 1. ##STR4##

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Following the biocatalytic production of arene cis-diols, there aredescribed chemical processes for the synthesis of various oxygenatedcompounds such as those represented by compounds 6,10-28 herein.Further, there are described methods for the synthesis of a substitutedepoxydiol 12 useful as a synthon. This synthon 12, prepared by thecontrolled oxidation of 11 with potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) is usefulin the synthesis of various other compounds. The synthesis of theunusual epoxydiol 12 is accomplished as illustrated in Scheme 1.

There are described, chemical processes for the synthesis of variousoxygenated compounds such as those represented in Scheme 3 below.Specifically, there are described processes for the preparation of anepoxydiol or an acceptable salt thereof having the formula: ##STR5##wherein X is defined as hydrogen, halogen, alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms,aryl or CN; the process comprising:

reacting an acetonide of the formula: ##STR6## wherein X is as definedabove; with permanganate in an appropriate solvent at a temperature fromabout -78° C. to about 40° C. and at a pH of from about 4-8. Preferably,X is Cl, Br, methyl, phenyl or CN.

There is also described a process for the preparation ofD-chiro-inositol 6 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof,comprising reducing the epoxydiol 12 (X=Cl, Br) with a reducing agent toyield compound 14 and then hydrolyzing epoxydiol 14 with a hydrolyzingagent including but not limited to water, an alkaline catalyst, anacidic catalyst, Al₂ O₃ or a basic or acidic ion exchange resin.

Also described is a process for the direct hydrolysis of the epoxydiol12 (X=Cl, Br) to the rare D-chiro-3-inosose 10 and its further reductionto D-chiro-inositol 6, the process comprising hydrolysis of theepoxydiol 12 with a hydrolyzing agent, including but not limited towater, alkaline catalyst, acidic catalyst, basic or acidic ion exchangeresin, and then reduction of inosose 10 with a reducing agent.

Additional embodiments of the present invention are related to thesynthesis of various oxygenated compounds using the epoxydiol (12)described above as a synthon and as illustrated in schemes 1 and 3herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As used in the present invention "suitable or appropriate solvents"include but are not limited to water, water miscible solvents such asdialkylketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbonatoms, cyclic ethers and ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms or mixturesthereof.

As used herein "reducing agent" includes but is not limited to atransition metal reagent, a hydride reagent or trialkysilane, preferablySml₂, tributyltinhydride or tris(trimethylsilyl)silane. These reducingagents may be used in combination with radical initiation agents such asUV light and/or AlBN or dibenzoylperoxide or a similar initiator.

As used herein "acid catalyst" includes but is not limited to mineralacids, such as HCl; organic acids such as p-toluene sulfonic acid; acidion exchange resin such as Amberlyst 15, Amberlyst IR 118, AmberliteCG-50, Dowex 50X8-100; all commercially available from Aldrich orsimilar acidic ion exchange resins.

As used herein "alkaline catalyst" includes but is not limited toalkaline metal hydroxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxides, such asLiOH, NaOH, KOH, or Ba(OH)₂ ; carbonate or bicarbonate of alkalinemetal, such as Na₂ CO₃ or K₂ CO₃ ; Al₂ O₃ or basic ion exchange resinsuch as Amberlite IRA-400, Amberlyst A26, Amberlyst A21, Dowex 1X2-200or other ion exchange resins.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the compound 12 can besynthesized by forming an acetonide such as compound 11 wherein X is asdefined as a substituent selected from the group consisting of, but notlimited to hydrogen, halogen, alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms, aryl or CN.,preferably X is Cl, Br, methyl, phenyl or CN. The acetonide 11 is thenexposed (contacted) to permanganate in an appropriate solvent at anappropriate temperature to yield the epoxydiol. In a preferredembodiment of the present invention, at least about 1.5 equivalents ofKMnO₄ are used and more preferably between about 1.5-2.5 equivalents.When less equivalents of permanganate are used and higher temperaturesare used, a side product of this reaction may be formed to a largerextent. Such side product is the diol 13 shown in scheme 1.

As used in this invention, an appropriate solvent for the synthesis ofcompound 12 includes but is not limited to water, dialkylketones with2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, cyclic etherssuch as tetrahydrofuran (THF) or dioxane and mixtures thereof. Preferredsolvents are mixtures of water and acetone or water and an alcohol.

As used in this invention, an appropriate temperature range for thesynthesis of compound 12 is from about -78° C. to +40° C., preferablyfrom about -15° C. to about +10° C. It is further understood thatdepending on the pH range of the reaction mixture, the stability of thedesired compound may be effected. Therefore, in a preferred embodimentof the present invention, and particularly a preferred method for thesynthesis of compound 12 the pH of the reaction should be maintainedbetween about 4-8.

Any known method for controlling pH can be used, for example a bufferingagent or system can be used to maintain such pH range, or one couldsaturate the reaction mixture with CO₂ or buffer the reaction mixtureusing some organic or inorganic weak acid such as acetic or boric acid,or by using a buffer working in the region of pH from about 4-8. such asphosphate buffer, acetate buffer, tetraborate buffer or borate buffer.In a preferred process for synthesizing compound 12, magnesium sulfate(MgSO₄) is used to maintain the pH between about 4-8. If the reactionmixture is allowed to go above about pH 8, the desired product 12 willbe made, although it may be subject to rapid decomposition.

As demonstrated in scheme 1, the exposure of acetonide 11 to 2 eq ofaqueous KMnO₄ /MgSO₄ at -10° to 5° C. gave an 8:1 mixture of diols 12and 13 in 60% yield, while higher temperature and lower concentration ofthe reagent afforded the expected diol 13 as a major product. Theformation of 12 is both unexpected and unusual based on: a) theprecedent in the literature regarding the oxidation of simple dieneswith permanganate [See: Lee. D. G. in The Oxidation of Organic Compoundsby Permanganate Ion and Hexavalent Chromium, Open Court PublishingCompany, (La Salle), 1980. Two examples of formation of epoxydiols inlow yields from permanganate oxidation of conjugated dienes notcontaining halogens have been reported: von Rudloff, E. TetrahedronLett. 1966, 993; and Sable, H. Z.; Anderson, T.; Tolbert, B.; Posternak,T. Helv. Chim. Acta 1963, 46, 1157]; b) the known instability ofa-haloepoxides, [See: Carless, H. A. J.; Oak, O. Z. J. Chem. Soc. Chem.Commun., 1991, 61; Ganey, M. V.; Padykula, R. E.; and Berchtold, G. A.J. Org. Chem. 1989, 54, 2787]; and c) the unavailability of dataconcerning direct and controlled oxidation of 1-chloro-1,3-dienes withKMnO₄ or OsO₄. ##STR7##

As shown in scheme 3 above, the synthon 12 can be used to make severaloxygenated compounds. Although applicants have illustrated and/orexemplified a finite number of compounds which can be made using thesynthon 12, as a starting material, it is understood that those skilledin the art could readily prepare additional compounds. For example, seescheme 4 below which shows the synthesis of insoitols 3,4 and 5 from thesynthon 12. These additional compounds are contemplated by the presentinvention. ##STR8##

Depending on the desired product, compound 12 can be reacted with areducing agent such as a hydride reagent or trialkysilane and preferablywith tributyltinhydride or tris(trimethylsilyl)silane. This reaction, ifnecessary as understood by those skilled in the art, may be carried outunder conditions of radical initiation such as UV light and/or in thepresence of an appropriate radical initiator such as AlBN ordibenzoylperoxide or a radical initiator of a similar nature. Followingreduction of the epoxide 12 as described above, the epoxide 14 can beopened and deprotected using pure water, an acid catalyzed hydrolysiswith mineral acid, (HCl), an organic acid (p-toluene sulfonic acid) oran acidic ion exchange resin including but not limited to Amberlyst 15,Amberlyst IR 118, Amberlite CG-50, Dowex 50X8-100, or an alkalinecatalysed hydrolysis with weak bases such as a salt of organic acid,preferably sodium benzoate, sodium acetate or sodium citrate, or analkaline ion exchange resin included but not limited to Amberlyst A 21or organic bases including but not limited to aliphatic amines such astriethylamine or diisopropylamine. Reaction temperatures range fromabout -10° C. to about 110° C., and preferably from about 50° C. toabout 90° C., in water or an appropriate solvent mixture such as waterwith a water miscible solvent such as lower ketones with 2-4 carbonatoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, or cyclic ethers with 4carbon atoms or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms.

Compound 12 proved remarkably stable (t_(1/2) at 110° C.=approximately50 hr) and was transformed to the known epoxide 14 [See: Hudlicky, T.;Price, J. D.; Rulin, F.; Tsunoda, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 9439;and Hudlicky, T.; Price, J. Luna, H.; Andersen, C. M. Isr. J. Chem.1991, 31, 229.] upon reduction with tris(trimethylsilyl)silane/AlBN[Chatgilialoglu, C.; Griller, D.; Lesage, M. J. Org. Chem. 1988, 53,3642] in 50% yield. The opening of this epoxide with H₂ O in thepresence of small amount of sodium benzoate gave, in unoptimized runs,almost pure D-chiro-Inositol, identical with authentic samples (¹ H-NMRand GC) ##STR9##

Direct hydrolysis of 12 with H₂ O in the presence of Al₂ O₃ furnishedalmost quantitatively the rare inosose 10. This reaction can be carriedout using water or using an alkaline catalysis with alkaline ionexchange resin such as Amberlite IRA-400, Amberlyst A 26, Amberlyst A21, Dowex IX2-200 or ion exchange resin of similar nature, or Al₂ O₃ ora mixture of these; or using acid catalysis by mineral acid such as HClor organic acid such as acetic acid, or p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA) oran acidic ion exchange resin including but not limited to Amberlyst 15,Amberlyst IR 118, Amberlite CG-50, Dowex 50X8-100, or using SiO₂.Reaction temperatures range from about -10° C. to about 110° C., andpreferably are from about 50° C. to 100° C., and the reaction can becarried out in water or an appropriate solvent mixture such as waterwith a water miscible solvent such as lower ketones with 2-4 carbonatoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms; or cyclic ethers with 4carbon atoms; or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms. The resulting inosose 10from such direct hydrolysis and deprotection can then be reduced to 6using reducing agent such as hydride reagents, preferably zincborohydride or sodium borohydride, in an appropriate solvent such aswater, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, cyclic ethers with 4 carbonatoms, or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms or a mixture thereof at atemperature of from about -10° C. to about 110° C. Reaction product ofsuch reduction contains a significant amount of 6 (about 25%) separableby using known methods (See Loewus, F. A. Methods in Plant Biochemistry1990, 2, 219; Honda, S. Anal. Biochem 1984, 140,1)

These results constitute remarkably short and effective synthesis ofD-chiro-inositol 6: five chemical steps, all but two performed inaqueous media, with a potential of further shortening of this sequenceto four steps upon optimization of the reactions involved. For example,it is comtemplated that the number of steps in this synthesis may bereduced. It is clear that an attractive industrial preparation of 6 willensue as a result of such an optimization, as will other applications tothe synthesis of functionalized cyclitols. There are nine stereoisomersfor hexahydroxy cyclohexanes, some of which are important as either freehydroxyls or phosphates, in the communication at the cellular level.(Posternak, T. in The Cyclitols, Hermann, Paris, 1962.) These ninecompounds and all of their derivatives can be prepared by controlledfunctionalization of arene cis diols which are now available throughbiocatalysis on a commercial scale.

EXPERIMENTAL(1S,2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-2-Chloro-5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2,3-oxa-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(12a)

To a stirred solution of 1-chloro-2,3-dihydroxycyclohexa-4,6-diene (20.0g, 0.138 mol) in a mixture of dry acetone (210 ml) and2,2-dimethoxypropane (23.8 ml, 0,194 mol), placed in a water bath, wasadded pTSA (0.80 g, 4.20 mmol). After 15 min a saturated solution of Na₂CO₃ (10 ml) was added and the mixture was cooled to -5° C. (solution A).KMnO₄ (50.0 g, 0.316 mol) and MgSO₄ (21.0 g, 0.175 mol) were dissolvedin water (1250 ml) and cooled to 5° C. (solution B). To a mixture of ice(250 g) and acetone (300 ml) cooled to -15° C. was added 50 ml ofsolution B. Then solutions A and B were simultaneously added over 25min, maintaining a small excess of KMnO₄ in the reaction mixture andtemperature under 5° C. Precipitated MnO₂ was filtered off and washedwith water and acetone. The resulting colorless solution was extractedwith CHCl₃, the extract was dried and evaporated under reduced pressureto give 19.1 g of white solid containing 80% of 12a, 10% of 13 and 10%of 27. Recrystallization of the crude product from the mixture ofEtOAc/hexane/Et₂ O yielded in two crops 10.5 g (32%) of pure 12a.M.p.=113°-114.5° C.; [a]D²⁰ =+29.2° (c 1, CHCl₃); IR (CHCl₃) n 3392;2983; 2914; 1374; 1220; 1167, 1045 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.63 (dd,J=5.9, 1.1 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=5.8, 3.3, Hz, 1H), 4.29 (ddd, J=9.5,4.3, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 4.07 (dddd, J=12.0, 4.3, 3.3., 1.0, 1H), 3.84 (ddd,J=1.1, 1.0, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 2.84 (bd, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 2.41 (bd, J=12.1 Hz,1H), 1.48 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CHCl₃) d 110.4 (C), 78.5 (C),77.1 (CH), 73.3 (CH), 67.8 (CH), 65.9 (CH), 63.7 (CH), 27.0 (CH₃), 24.9(CH₃); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 237 (M+, 100), 221 (18), 161 (6),143 (6): Anal. calcd for C₉ H₁₃ ClO₅ : C, 45.68; H, 5.54;0 Found: C,45.69; H, 5.49.

(1S,2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-2-Bromo-4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-oxa-8,8-dimethyl-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(12b)

1-Bromo-2,3-dihydroxycyclohexa-4,6-diene (4.8 g. 0.026 mol) was treatedwith 2,2-dimethoxypropane as described in preparation of 12a. Theresulting mixture was diluted with acetone (75 ml) and cooled to 0° C.Then, maintaining the temperature under 5° C., the solution of KMnO₄(6.20 g, 0.03 mol) and MgSO₄ (3.00 g, 0.025 mol) in a mixture of water(130 ml) and acetone (60 ml), cooled to 5° C., was added over 30 min.Precipitated MnO₂ was filtered off and washed with water and acetone.The filtrate was then saturated with NaCl and extracted with EtOAc.Drying and evaporation of the extract under reduced pressure yieldedcrude crystalline product (3.3 g), recrystallization of which(EtOAc/hexane/Et₂ O) gave 1.63 g (22%) of pure 12b. Mother liquor wasevaporated under reduced pressure and purified by flash chromatography(10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl₃ :MeOH, 95:5) to furnish 90 mg (1.3%)of 12b, 380 mg (3.8%) of the bromo derivative 13 and 55 mg (1.1%) of 27.For 12b: IR (KBr) n 3390, 2910, 2830, 1380, 1225, 1170, 1070, 1045 cm⁻¹; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.65 (dd, J=5.8, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=5.7, 3.4Hz, 1H, 4.32 (bdd, J=10.1, 4.3 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (dm, J=12.0 Hz, 1H), 3.91(m, 1H), 2.81 (bd, J=10.2 Hz, 1H), 2.38 (bd, J=12.1 Hz, 1H), 1.49 (s,3H), 1.39 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 110.5 (C), 77.2 (C), 74.2 (CH),71.6 (CH), 67.9 (CH), 66.5 (CH), 63.7 (CH), 27.1 (CH₃), 25.1 (CH₃); and

For(1S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-8.8-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4,5-oxa-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(27): M.p.=126°-127° C.; [a]^(D) 20=+61.1° (c 1, CHCl₃); IR (KBr) n3555, 3045, 2995, 1755, 1440, 1405, 1263, 1235, 1110, 1073 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ HNMR (CDCl₃) d 5.13 (dd, J=5.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 4.86 (ddd, J=5.9, 1.4, 1.4Hz, 1H), 4.42 (dd, J=5.9, 1.5 Hz, 1H), 3.67 (ddd, J=3.8, 1.4, 1.4 Hz,1H), 3.39 (ddd, J=3.8, 1.4, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 3.31 (bd, J=5.8 Hz, 1H), 1.60(s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 202.4 (C), 113.2 (C), 78.2(CH), 77.4 (CH), 70.0 (CH), 59.5 (CH), 54.0 (CH), 27.3 (CH₃), 25.3(CH₃); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 201 (M+, 100), 143 (12), 125 (14),111 (14); Anal. calcd for C₉ H₁₂ O₅ : C, 54.00; H, 6.04; Found: C,53.83; H, 6.03.

(1S,2S,3S,4S,8R,9R)-2-Chloro-2.3-oxa-6,6,11,11-tetramethyl-3,7,10,12,-tetraoxatricyclo[7.3.0.0⁴,8]dodecane (18a)

To a stirred solution of 12a (1.14 g, 4.82 mmol) in dichloromethane (6.0ml) and 2,2-dimethoxypropane (1.8 ml, 14.6 mmol) was added pTSA (10 mg,0.053 mmol). After 2.5 h was added a saturated solution of Na₂ CO₃ (0.5ml) and water (25 ml) and the reaction mixture was extracted withpetroleum ether. The extract was dried and evaporated under reducedpressure to give 1.24 g (93%) of colorless crystalline 18a.M.p.=59°-62.5° C.; [a]^(D) 20=+23.1° (c 1, CHCl₃); IR (KBr) n 2981,2930, 1378, 1261, 1214, 1162, 1072, 1053 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.62(m, 3H), 4.35 (ddd, J=6.3, 1.7, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 3.64 (ddd, J=1.8, 1.0, 1.0Hz, 1H), 1.48+1.47 (s, 6H), 1.40 (s, 3H), 1.36 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃)d 111.0 (C), 110.6 (C), 79.0 (C), 76.2 (CH), 74.7 (CH), 74.2 (CH), 72.1(CH), 62.2 (CH), 27.4 (CH₃), 26.8 (CH₃), 25.8 (CH₃), 25.3 (CH₃); MS (Cl)m/z (rel. intensity) 277 (M+, 63), 261 (80), 245 (10), 219 (15), 183(40), 161 (43), 143 (72), 133 (62), 125 (45), 115 (75); Anal. calcd forC₁₂ H₁₇ ClO₅ : C, 52.09; H, 6.19; Found: C, 52.24; H, 6.22.

(1R,2S,3R,4R,8S,9S)-2,3-Oxa-6,6,11,11-tetramethyl-3,7,10,12-tetraoxatricyclo[7.3.0.0⁴,8]dodecane (19)

A solution of 18a (60.0 mg, 0.239 mmol), tri-n-butyltinhydride (76.3 mg,0.262 mmol) and AlBN (19.6 mg, 0.119 mmol) in benzene (1.5 ml) washeated for 2.5 h under argone to 75° C. The reaction mixture was thendiluted with petroleum ether (5 ml) and filtered through 10% deactivatedsilica gel. Washing of the silica gel with EtOAc and evaporation of theeluent under reduced pressure yielded waxy crystalline product (75 mg),whose flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, hexane:EtOAc,7:1) furnished 19 (25 mg, 43%). M.p=109°-110° C.; IR (KBr) n 3035, 2980,1395, 1380, 1250, 1225, 1095, 1075, 1045 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.57(m, 3H), 4.34 (bd, J=6.5 Hz, 1H), 3.34 (m, 2H). 1.52 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s,3H), 1.37 (s, 6H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 109.3 (C), 108.9 (C), 74.5 (CH),72.5 (CH), 71.5 (CH), 69.9 (CH), 55.1 (CH), 52.3 (CH), 27.4 (CH₃), 26.5(CH₃), 25.8 (CH₃), 25.0 (CH₃); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 243 (M+,37), 227 (50), 185 (100), 169 (10), 127 (40); Anal calc. for C₁₂ H₁₈ O₉: C, 59.49: H, 7.49; Found: C, 59.58: H, 7.52.

Reduction of haloepoxides 12a,b with tris(trimethylsilyl)silane

A) A solution of 12b (112 mg, 0.398 mmol), tris(trimethylsilyl)silane(147 mg, 0.477 mmol) and AlBN (25 mg, 0.152 mmol)in toluene (2 ml) washeated under argon for 1.5 h to 110° C. Then the reaction mixture wasevaporated under reduced pressure to dryness and the residue was flashchromatographed (10% deact. silica gel, CHCl₃ :MeOH, 95:5) to furnish38.4 mg (48% of crystalline 14 and 3.9 mg (5%) of 21. B) The solution of12a (130 mg, 0.522 mmol) and AlBN (25 mg, 0.152 mmol) in toluene (1.5ml) was heated for 6 h under argon to 105° C. Flash chromatography (10%deact. silica gel, CHCl₃ ;MeOH, 95:5) of under reduced pressureevaporated reaction mixture yielded 37.1 mg (42%) of 14 and 16.2 mg(13%) of 22. For (1S,3R,4S,5R,6S)-3-chloro-4,5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2-oxo-7,9-dioxa[4.3.0]nonane (14):M.p.:105°-108° C.; [a]D²⁰ =110.5° (c 1, CHCl₃), IR (KBr) n 3600-3100,3030, 2955, 1755, 1385, 1245, 1170, 1085 cm⁻¹ ; 1H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.93(dd, J=10.7, 0.7 Hz, 1H), 4.63 (d, J=5.2 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=2.9, 2.6Hz, 1H), 4.53 (dd, J=5.2, 2.9 Hz, 1H), 3.97 (dd, J=10.7, 2.6 Hz, 1H),2.93 (bs, 2H), 1.41+1.40 (s, 6H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 201.7 (C), 117.3(C), 86.8 (CH), 74.9 (CH), 70.8 (CH), 66.3 (CH), 27.6 (CH₃), 26.2 (CH₃).

Reduction of 12a with Sml₂

A) To a solution of 12a (52.1 mg, 0.220 mmol) in a mixture of THF (1 ml)and MeOH (0.3 ml) under argon, was added dropwise over the period of 30min at -90° C. a solution of Sml₂ (0.1M in THF, 2.5 ml, 0.230 mmol).After 1 h of stirring without cooling a saturated solution of K₂ CO₃ (1ml) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 15min. Extraction with EtOAc, drying and evaporation of the extract underreduced pressure gave the crude solid product. Flash chromatography (10%deact. silica gel, CHCl₃ :MeOH, 95:5, then 9:1) furnished 7.2 mg (18%)of 20 and 22 mg (49%) of 21. For(1S,4R,5R,6S)-3,4-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(21): IR (KBr) n 3450, 3060, 2970, 1750, 1155, 1100 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR(CDCl₃) d 4.45 (dd, J=6.3, 3.6 Hz, 1H), 4.49 (bd, 6.5 Hz, 1H), 4,29 (m,1H), 4.17 (m, 1H), 2.81 (ddd, J=15.0, 8.2, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 2.67 (dd, 15.0,5.3 Hz, 1H), 2.51 (bd, J=3.3 Hz, 1H), 2.22 (bd, J=4.6 Hz, 1H), 1.44 (s,3H), 1.41 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 206.7 (C), 110.5 (C), 78.2 (CH),77.0 (CH), 70.8 (CH), 68.1 (CH), 42.6 (CH₂), 26.7 (CH₃), 25.1(CH₃); MS(Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 203 (M+, 70), 187 (35), 159 (15), 145 (30),127 (100); Anal. calcd for C₉ H₁₄ O₅ : C,53.46; H, 6,98; Found: C,53.25; H, 6.93. B) Analogous treatment of 12a (420 mg, 1.78 mmol) withsolution of Sml₂ (0.1M in THF, 18.0 ml, 1.95 mmol) added over the periodof 2 min yielded after chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, CHCl₃:MeOH, 95:5) 77 mg (22%) of 21 and a complex mixture of products (190mg). Chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, EtOAc:hexane, 1:1) of thismixture furnished 110 mg (31%) of 23. For(1S,3S,4S,5R)-8,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-3,4-oxa-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(23): [a]D²⁰ =-84.8° (c 1.6, CHCl₃); IR (KBr) n 3590, 3060, 3030, 2980,1760, 1405, 1240, 1185, 1100, 895 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.75 (bd,J=9.1, 1H), 4.53 (dd, J=9.1, 6.6 Hz, 1H), 4.10 (dd, 6.5, 4.3 Hz, 1H),3.70 (d, J=4.6 Hz, 1H), 3.61 (d, J=4.4 Hz, 1H), 2.75 (m, 1H), 1.49 (s,3H), 1.37 (s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CDCl₃) d 201.1 (C), 109.8 (C), 78.0 (CH),76.0 (CH), 71.5 (CH), 58.6 (CH), 54.9 (CH), 26.3 (CH₃), 23.9 (CH₃); MS(Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 201 (M+, 100), 185 (20), 143 (15), 125 (15).

(1S,3R,4S,5R,6S)-4,5-Dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(24)

A mixture of 12a (141 mg, 0.596 mmol), Zn powder (100 mg) and MeOH (5ml) was refluxed under argon for 1.5 h. The solid was filtered off andwashed with EtOAc. After the addition of Na₂ CO₃ (0.5 ml of saturatedsolution) and water, the filtrate was extracted with EtOAc. Evaporationand drying of the extract under the reduced pressure furnished 110 mg ofcrude product. Flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl₃ :MeOH, 95:5) furnished 77 mg (56%) of 24, 27 mg (21%) of 25 and 8 mg (6%)of starting material 12a. For(1S,3R,4S,5R,6S)-4,5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane(24): IR (CHCl₃) n 3457, 2989, 2936, 1742, 1384, 1226, 1158, 1078 cm⁻¹ ;¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 4.59 (bd, J=4.9 Hz, 1H), 4.51 (m, 2H), 4.19 (bd,J=10.4 Hz, 1H), 3.93 (bd, J=10.3 Hz, 1H), 3.56 (s, 3H), 2.92 (bs, 2H),1.39 (s, 6H); ¹³ C NMR (CD₃ OD) d 207.8 (C), 129.3 (CH), 111.6 (C), 85.1(CH), 79.5 (CH), 73.2 (CH), 69.7 (CH), 59.7 (CH₃), 27.4 (CH₃), 26.1 (CH3); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 233 (M+, 12), 215 (15), 201 (12), 183(63), 174 (25), 157 (70), 143 (90), 125 (100); Anal. calcd for C₁₀ H₁₆O₆ : C, 51.72; H, 6.94; Found: C, 51.64; H, 6.98.

For(1S,5R,6S)-8,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyc-lo[4.3.0]non-3-ene(25): IR n (CHCl₃) 3520, 3050, 2995, 1720, 1655, 1395, 1245, 1180, 1160,1095 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 5.80 (dd, J=5.4, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 4.79 (ddd,J=5.5, 5.0, 3.0 Hz, 1H), 4.59 (d, J=5.5 Hz, 1H), 4.51 (ddd, J=5.3, 3.0,1.2 Hz, 1H); 3.69 (s, 3H), 2.22 (bs, J=5.0 Hz, 2H), 1.42 (s, 3H), 1.39(s, 3H); ¹³ C NMR (CD₃ OD) d 192.4 (C), 151.9 (C), 115.5 (CH), 111.2(C), 80.0 (CH), 76.6 (CH), 65.0 (CH), 55.8 (CH₃), 27.0 (CH₃), 26.0(CH₃); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 215 (M+, 10), 197 (75), 169 (20),157 (100), 139 (100), 127 (100); Anal. calcd for C₁₀ H₁₄ O₅ : C, 56.07;H, 6.59: Found: C, 55.95; H, 6.63.

(1S,6S)-8,8-Dimethyl-3-ethoxy-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]-non-3-ene(26)

A mixture of 12a (375 mg, 1.59 mmol), benzylamine (340 mg, 3.17 mmol)and THF (2 ml) was stirred at -25° C. for 10 h. Then acetone (6 ml) wasadded and precipitated benzylamine hydrochloride was filtered off at-25° C. To the filtrate at -20° C. was added oxalic acid (142 mg, 1.59mmol) and after 10 min the mixture was filtered to give 430 mg of whitesolid. This solid (188 mg) was then heated to reflux in ethanol (5 ml).Precipitated benzylamine oxalate was filtered off and evaporation of thefiltrate under reduced pressure yielded 110 mg of the crude product. Byflash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl₃ :MeOH, 95:5) wasobtained 46.8 mg (26%) of 26 and 16 mg of 28 were obtained. For 26:M.p.=107°-110° C. (dec); [a]D²⁰ =+102° (c 0.5, MeOH); IR (CHCl₃) n 3450,3050, 3035, 1670, 1650, 1400, 1320, 1275, 1230, 1140, 1115, 1045 cm⁻¹ ;¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 5.51 (bs, 1H) 4.89 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 3.83 (ddd,J=11.4, 8.4, 5.2 Hz, 1H), 3.75 (dq, J=9.2, 7.1 Hz, 1H), 3.64 (dq, J=9.3,7.1 Hz, 1H), 2.93 (ABq, J=16.8, 5.2 Hz, 1H), 2.41 (ABq, J=16.8, 11.5 Hz,1H), 1.69 (s, 3H), 1.60 (s, 3H), 1.24 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 3H); ¹³ C NMR(CDCl₃) d 189.9 (C), 148.0 (C), 126.3 (C), 117.9 (C), 80.3 (CH), 77.1(CH), 65.6 (CH₂), 39.2 (CH₂), 26.6 (CH₃), 24.3 (CH₃), 15.3 (CH₃); MS(Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 229 (M+, 100), 183 (30), 170 (20), 143 (25),127 (10); Anal. calcd for C₁₁ H₁₆ O₅ : C, 57.89; H, 7.07; Found: C,57.98; H, 6.98.

(1S,6S)-8,8-Dimethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]non-3-ene(28)

A mixture of 27 (0.23 g), 10% deactivated silica gel (5 g, Silica Gel60, EM Science), ethylacetate (12 ml) and hexane (8 ml) was stirred atroom temperature for 2 h. The mixture was then filtered and the filtratewas evaporated under reduced pressure. Flash chromatography (10% deact.silica gel, ethylacetate:hexane, 6:4) furnished 25 mg (11%) of 28.M.p.=153°-154° C.; [a]D²⁰ =+102° (c 0.5, MeOH); IR (KBr) n 3295, 2465,1635, 1410, 1335, 1175, 1140 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (CDCl₃) d 5.45 (bs, 1H),4.85 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 1H), 4.18 (m, 1H), 2.88 (dd, J=16.7, 5.4 Hz, 1H),2.49 (dd, J=16.8, 11.6 Hz, 1H), 2.43 (bs, 1H), 1.69 (s, 3H), 1.61 (s,3H); ¹³ C NMR (CD₃ OD) d 192.5 (C), 151.9 (C), 128.2 (C), 120.0 (C),86.1 (CH), 82.2 (CH), 43.4 (CH₂), 26.9 (CH₃), 24.4 (CH₃); MS (Cl) m/z(rel. intensity) 201 (M+,100), 85 (23), 81 (15), 69 (23).

D-chiro-inositol (6) A) A mixture of 14 (16.2 mg, 0.080 mmol), ionexchange resin Amberlyst 15 (100 mg) and water (1.5 ml) was heated for3.5 h to 80° C. Filtering off the resin, washing with water andevaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure yielded 12 mg ofcrystalline product containing 70% of 6 (based on ¹ H NMR). B) A mixtureof 14 (9.7 g, 44.05 mmol), sodium benzoate (30 mg, 0.21 mmol) and water(150 ml) was refluxed in darkness, under argon for 83 h. The reactionmixture was evaporated, dissolved in a mixture of water and methanol andthe mixture was filtered with charcoal. The obtained colorless solutionwas evaporated to dryness. Recrystallization from the mixture of waterand ethanol furnished 6.13 g (77%) of pure 6, identical with the naturalproduct. C) The mixture of 10 (97 mg, 0.545 mmol), NaBH₄ (50 mg, 1.32mmol) and acetonitrile (5 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 2 h.Then diluted HCl (1:1, 0.2 ml) was added. After an additional 1 h ofstirring the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness to give 180 mgof the product containing 15% of 6 (¹ H NMR, GC).

D-Chiro-3-inosose (10). A mixture of 12a (93.7 mg, 0.396 mmol), Al₂ O₃(activated, basic, Brockmann I, 150 mg) and 2 ml of water was heatedwhile stirring for 0.5 h to 80° C. After filtering off the Al₂ O₃,washing it and evaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure, 72 mg(84%) of 10 was obtained. IR (KBr) n 3346, 3006. 1735, 1576, 1420, 1302,1132, 1078, 1005 cm⁻¹ ; ¹ H NMR (D₂ O) d 4.40 (dd, J=3.4, 1.3 Hz, 1H),4.16 (dd, J=9.7, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 3.94 (dd, J=4.1, 3.0 Hz, 1H), 3.84 (dd,J=4.1, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 3.59 (dd, J=9.7, 3.1 Hz, 1H); ¹³ C NMR (D₂ O) d208.0 (C), 75,7 (CH), 74.1 (CH), 73.6 (CH), 73.3 (CH), 71.1 (CH).

Neo-inositol (5). A mixture of epoxide 14 (0.69 g, 3.41 mmol), AmberlystIR-118 (1.5 g) and water (10 ml) was stirred when heated to about 100°C. for 30 min. The solid was filtered off, the solution was filteredwith charcoal and evaporated to give 0.54 g (87%) of the mixturecontaining 70% of 6 and 25% of 5. Recrystallization of this product fromaqueous ethanol furnished 96 mg of 5.

Muco-inositol (4). A mixture of epoxide 14 (0.58 g, 2.86 mmol),Amberlyst 15 (0.66 g) and water (20 ml) was stirred at room temperaturefor 24 h. The solid was filtered off, the solution was filtered withcharcoal and evaporated to give 0.43 g (83%) of colorless productcontaining >90% of 4. Recrystallization of the crude product fromaqueous ethanol furnished 4 (0.34 g) of >95% purity.

Allo-inositol (3). A mixture of inosose 10 (1.15 g, 6.45 mmol), Raneynickel (0.5 g) and methanol (15 ml) was hydrogenated at 60 psi for 24 h.The reaction mixture was then diluted with water, filtered with charcoaland evaporated to dryness to furnish 0.91 g (78%) of the crude yellowproduct containing >90% of 3. Recrystallization of this product (0.626g) from aqueous ethanol gave 0.24 g of 3.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for the preparation of an epoxydioluseful as a synthon, the epoxydiol having the formula: ##STR10## whereinX is Cl or Br; the process comprising reacting an acetonide of theformula: ##STR11## wherein X is as defined above; with permanganate inan appropriate solvent at a temperature of from about -78° C. to about40° C., at a pH of between about 4-8.
 2. A process of claim 1 whereinthe solvent is selected from the group consisting of: water,dialkylketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbonatoms, cyclic ethers and mixtures thereof.
 3. A process of claim 2wherein the solvent is a mixture of water and acetone or a loweralcohol.
 4. A process of claim 1 wherein the pH range is maintainedbetween about 4-8 by adding MgSO₄.
 5. A process of claim 1 wherein thepermanganate is KMnO₄.
 6. A process of claim 5 wherein the acetonide isreacted with at least 1.5 equivalents of KMnO₄.
 7. A process of claim 6wherein between about 1.5 to about 2.5 equivalents of KMnO₄ is added. 8.A process of claim 1 wherein the temperature is from about -15° C. toabout 10° C.